<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Fireflies by Faerie_childe</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29183160">Fireflies</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faerie_childe/pseuds/Faerie_childe'>Faerie_childe</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe, F/F, Fireflies, Fluff, Just two girls being cute</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 13:28:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,188</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29183160</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Faerie_childe/pseuds/Faerie_childe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zelda and Impa meet at a ball as kids and grow up to be adorably in love.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Impa/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Fireflies</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I had an idea like this a while ago, and thought these two would fit it really well.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The first time Impa met her, she was eight. </p><p>Her parents were having a ball in honor of her birthday, like they had every year since her birth. Her mother had thought herself unable to bear children so when Impa was born, healthy and screaming, they had rejoiced. </p><p>She had found the balls fun at first, even if she had to dress up for them. There were always new people to meet, and often she could find a few kids her age to run around with. But as she had gotten older, she had found them less and less appealing. They were too bright, and formal, and even as an eight-year-old she was expected to behave as a proper ambassador. So, on her eighth, she had run off as soon as she could escape the watchful eyes of her mother. </p><p>As always, she found herself in the gardens. Normally they were empty, everyone inside socializing at the ball, but that night she found a girl at her usual spot by the lake. She was sitting on the ground under the big willow tree, and appeared to be holding something in her cupped hands.</p><p>“Hello,” Impa called, stopping a few feet from her. “Can I sit down with you?</p><p>The girl spun around to face her, her golden hair moving smoothly, like a wave. She cocked her head and stared at Impa for a second, before grinning and nodding so hard Impa worried she’d hurt her neck. </p><p>Impa settled next to her and smiled back.</p><p>“I’m Impa, who’re you? I don’t think I’ve met you before.”</p><p>“I’m Zelda,” she said, “do you like frogs?” </p><p>“I suppose?” Impa said, eying the girl. She grinned brightly, moving her cupped hands over to Impa and depositing a large frog onto her lap. It stared up at her with bulging eyes, croaked once, and took off back to the lake. It hopped in, splattering her legs with lake water. Zelda giggled madly, doubling over as much has she could in her corset. “Your face!” She exclaimed, and Impa couldn’t help but smile.  </p><p>The two talked together until their parents found them, curled up together under the willow. </p><p>Impa’s tutors were delighted with how much her writing improved over the year, although they somewhat disproved of her spending so much time writing letters, and so little on her schoolwork. Impa was too excited about the prospect of having an actual friend to care. She kept all of the letters Zelda sent stashed in a little box under her bed, neatly piled, and read them whenever she felt sad. Zelda always managed to cheer her up, even after she had broken her ankle and could barely walk for over a month.</p><p>Impa only ever saw Zelda on her birthday, whenever they managed to escape the ball and run away into the garden together. From that year on, she brought jars, and the two caught fireflies as the light faded from the sky. Zelda was fascinated with the way they lit up, often holding them between her hands to watch as the glow lit her skin red. Impa, on the other hand, liked to watch them flit around the inside of the jars, dancing for her. </p><p>They always let them go at the end of the night. Laying on the ground holding hands, watching as the fireflies flew out of their container just to float a little above their bodies, like a blanket of stars. Their own personal galaxy, to watch over the two girls as they said their goodbyes for the year. </p><p>When Impa was fifteen, things started changing. Her parents had begun to urge her to meet with possible suitors, to strengthen the family. She had agreed at first, but after three disappointing meetings she was losing hope and patience. She didn’t feel any desire to get to know them, to marry them, and the thought of kissing them made her want to throw up. </p><p>All she could ever think of during her dates was how the suitors paled compared to Zelda, with their stiff formalities and pleasantries. She doubted they would want to catch frogs with her, they’d only think her unladylike and fret about ruining their boots. There was no way they’d lay on the grass with her, in all of their finery, and stare up at the stars as fireflies floated above them. They wouldn’t go adorably cross-eyed as a firefly landed on their nose, wouldn’t scrunch up their face in an attempt to dislodge it. They definitely wouldn’t drop a frog in her lap and laugh about it without shame.</p><p>On her sixteenth, she asked Zelda if her parents were doing the same, if she was finding her suitors lacking as well. She blushed as she asked, avoiding Zelda’s prying questions.<br/>
“I just don’t like the thought of them kissing me. Or marrying them. Or anything with them, really.” Impa said, finally. </p><p>“I don’t like the thought of having a man court me either,” Zelda said, pulling her close and kissing her. </p><p>It was much different than she had imagined. Zelda’s soft hands cupped her face gently, as if she were afraid Impa might break. Everything about it was soft and sweet. Zelda’s hair brushed against her face, the long strands tickling her shoulders. </p><p>Zelda pulled away, and Impa buried her face in her neck. Her face and ears were burning as Zelda laughed, pressing another kiss to the top of her head, and running a hand down her back.</p><p>Impa’s parents fussed when Zelda stated her intent to court her, but Impa’s enthusiastic agreement and lovesick pining managed to convince them. As did Zelda’s status, Impa’s parents had always had high aspirations for her, and marrying a princess was far beyond what they could have imagined. Not that Zelda had told Impa about this. When she had, Impa had pouted for a total of about a minute, until Zelda decided enough was enough and kissed her again. </p><p>That had ended her pouting quickly. </p><p>On Impa’s eighteenth, they entered the hall together, hand in hand. They stayed for a dance before running off to their tree. They had no desire for the finery of their parents, for the prim and proper ways of court. Zelda found more in common with the frogs and the fireflies than she did with most other nobles, and Impa found that she would rather be practicing with the knights than sitting in lessons. </p><p>Zelda proposed to her there the next year. No witnesses, no fanfare, just the two of them. She had handed Impa a little ring set with a stone that glowed just like the fireflies, and that was more than enough for her. The fireflies seemed to think so too, one landing on Zelda’s nose and blinking thrice before flying away. Impa had laughed at her scrunched up face until Zelda kissed her breathless. </p><p>They got married there as well, under that tree as the sky started to dim. They said their vows, lit only by the light of the fireflies and the glowing of the moon, serenaded by a chorus of frogs.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>